Friday, September 01, 2006

It's That Time Again...

EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, proudly announces its annual EPPIE contest. The EPPIES is the premier contest in the e-book and e-publishing world. The categories are judged by members of EPIC, all published authors. After the first round of judging, the works of the finalists are sent to a panel of finalist judges, and winners in all twenty-three categories are selected. The winners are announced at the EPIC conference's gala award ceremony at the annual EPICon Convention. This year's convention will be held March 8-11, 2007 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

RulesPlease read these rules in their entirety before entering. Questions may be directed to 2007 Contest Chairman Carol MacLeod xoddity@cox.net.

Eligibility: Any eBook published in English and released for sale between October 1, 2005 and September 30, 2006, including self- and subsidy-published books are welcomed for entry in the 2007 EPPIES.

Books previously published in paper may be entered, if the eBook version meets requirements of publication date and entry format. Re-released books, which qualify with the new publisher per the time-frame given above, are eligible, provided they have not been entered in the EPPIE in a previous year. This includes books which are updated, such as yearbooks, guides, etc. There will be no exceptions.

There is no limit on how many different titles in the same or different categories may be entered by a single entrant. However, a separate entry form and entry fee is required for each title.

Only electronic copies—in PDF format only—will be accepted. Do not password protect the PDF file.

PayPal: Simply click on the logo below or go to www.paypal.com. If you are prompted for an email address to send the fees to, enter treasurer@epicauthors.com (EPIC's treasurer). You must include the following information in the PayPal payment comments section:

Your Name, Address, and eMail addressEPIC member—indicate Yes or No (indicate Yes if you are also joining now)Title of BookCategoryThat you are paying for EPPIE-2007 entry fees

Mail check/MO to EPIC Treasurer Barbara Woodward:

Barbara WoodwardEPPIE Entry FeeP.O. Box 2278Glen Rose, TX 76043

You must include a copy of the online entry form with your check/MO payment.

You may also join EPIC at the same time. (See www.epicauthors.com for membership information.) Note this when paying.

Until your entry fee has been paid; your ebook has been received; and your registration form has been entered, your entry is not considered complete. Failure to pay the entry fee, or not sending your book, or not submitting the registration form by entry deadline will disqualify your entry. If you have problems with payment, please contact treasurer@epicauthors.com for assistance in making your payment.

All entries this year will be sent as an email attachment (PDF format only) to eppie_submission@epicauthors.com and must be received no later than October 8, 2006 at Midnight EST. Entries received after that date and time will be refused and returned to the sender. Judging will begin on or about October 20, 2006. The final responsibility for making sure the entry is complete rests with the entrant and not with EPIC. A spreadsheet is provided by category on the EPIC site with status of entries. Entrants should check it daily to ensure that everything has been received regarding their entry.

Entry Fees$20.00 for EPIC members in good standing.$30.00 for non-EPIC members.

As stated above, a separate entry fee is required for each title entered. In the case of a canceled category due to too few entries, the category coordinator will contact the entrant for placement in another category. If no other category is acceptable to the entrant, fees will be returned and the entry will be deleted.

Submitting Your E-BookSend PDF copy of each entered work to Carol MacLeod at eppie_submission@epicauthors.com. It must be received by Carol no later than Midnight EST, Sunday, October 8, 2006.

Novellas and anthologies may be entered; however, there is no specific novella or anthology category. The novella or anthology should be entered into the category where it would fit were it a novel. It will be judged according to the same criteria as novels in that category. The fee and entry requirements for a novella are the same as those for a novel. If the novella appears as part of an anthology, the entire anthology will need to be entered. We no longer accept individual novellas from an anthology. The anthology must be entered as a whole in the appropriate category. Copyright date MUST appear at the beginning of the file in either case.

Note: Since e-books often cross genre, push the envelope, and often do not fit neatly into a single genre, it is the author's responsibility to select the proper category for his or her work. For example, if you think your book, which the publisher listed under romance, would best fit in the fantasy category, feel free to enter it there. However, points WILL be deducted if the judge feels the book is entered into the wrong category. A book may not be entered in more than one category, but an entrant may enter more than one title in a single category, as well as entering several titles in different categories.

Be aware when selecting a category for your book, judging is subjective. A romantic fantasy may be too much romance for fantasy judges. Your fantasy romance may not have enough romance for romance judges. So, select wisely. EPIC is not responsible for placing your book in a category, nor for informing you that your book would be better placed elsewhere.